Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through NetGalley and Edelweiss. ( )

Explores a young child's experience with loss and renewal. Though the little girl is heartbroken that her special perch in the tree is gone, the kindness and vision of her neighbor, combined with her own creativity and determination, help her recognize that it can have a new life in a different form.

Very cute book about a girl whose favourite tree branch was felled by a serious ice storm. I can relate because when I was kid some people came in to prune my tree and my mom asked them not to remove the lowest branch because that's the one I used to climb the tree with, but they did anyway and I had to start bringing a plastic chair with me whenever I wanted to climb the tree.

The illustrations are really nice, I especially liked this part with the people who can't walk on the ice:
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Love this book! Wonderful to watch and learn what happens to the special branch. Great lessons. ( )

When an ice storm wakes up a little girl with a loud snapping sound she is sad and upset that her favorite branch from the tree in her yard has broken off. This is the branch she sat on, jumped on, played under, pretended it was her castle, ship etc. Her mother does not understand at first but then lets her keep the branch. Her neighbour, Mr. Frank builds things, so he says he will help her make something else with it. He tells her the branch has "Potential". “What's potential?” she asks. “It means it's worth keeping.” Mr. Frank and the little girl work together to make something new that will remind the little girl about her branch and all the fun she had with it.

This book could be used when teaching about perseverance, teamwork and initiative. It also shows how older people can be partners in activities and about spending time with them. It could also be used in environmental activities about repurposing things instead of throwing them out and getting new things. The illustrations are great in this book, bright, colourful and imaginative. A great book for school and classroom libraries.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )